Parents sue St. Louis, Clayton schools over tuition payments

St. Louis – Several parents from St. Louis city are suing the Clayton and St. Louis school districts. The parents say they should not have to pay for their children to attend Clayton schools.

The parents pulled their children from the city schools and transferred them to Clayton following St. Louis's loss of academic accreditation in the spring.

A Missouri law says un-accredited districts are liable for tuition costs, if pupils leave to attend neighboring districts.

Attorney Elkin Kistner represents the parents.

"Students from the Wellston School District are accepted by Clayton and Clayton does not ask the parents of those children to pay the tuitions," Kistner said. "Rather those tuition bills, pursuant to the same statute that we are suing under are sent to the Wellston School District to pay."

Wellston lost accreditation in 2005.

Calls to clarify the St. Louis Public Schools' tuition policy were not returned.